


The Tragedy of St. Margaret's Prep School for Girls

by whereishannaa



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/F, Family, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-05 04:10:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20482637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whereishannaa/pseuds/whereishannaa
Summary: Regina Mills is the new girl at St. Margaret's Prep School for Girls in Augusta, Maine. She moved to the city with her mother, Cora, to escape from Regina's manic step-father - the intrusive Mr. Jones. Regina is sorted into class schedule SMPS4Z6, sharing a few classes with popular students Emma Swan and twins Mallory "Mal" and Ella Justice.Emma Swan is a member of the Swan family, one of Augusta's most influential families. Her mother, Mary Margaret is in charge of most of the parent meets involving school development while David Swan spends his time warming up to the Headmistress and donating large amounts of money to different school projects. This has greatly benefited Emma's education.Two girls from two very different backgrounds. At first, they despise each other yet both feel some sort of unrealistic passion towards one another. After a school tragedy brings them together, the two girls work together to solve how the tragedy came to be.





	The Tragedy of St. Margaret's Prep School for Girls

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, Hannah here! I've been a member of the SwanQueen facebook group for a good little while now and after engaging with some of the members and looking at some of their work, I decided to come up with my own fun little idea. I want to see how this goes so I hope it is received well within the AO3 community. Happy reading!

Staring into the mirror with revulsion on her face, Regina Mills silently judged her school’s new uniform. She ran a hand through her short cut black hair and let out a heavy sigh.

While her mother, Cora, was having an animated discussion on her cell phone with her new lawyer – the previous three had failed miserably to keep her stepfather at bay – Regina studied the uniform’s every hideous detail.

The blazer was a deep purple with the school emblem stitched onto it. Underneath the blazer was a crisp white blouse, buttoned up to her neck. The school’s tie was a light grey with green and blue stripes across it. The ugly skirt that went down to her knees matched the tie to a tee. Regina could hardly imagine any of the girls at St. Margaret’s Prep School for Girls feeling comfortable in the uniform.

The tailor, a woman in her forties with short dark red hair, re-joined Regina at the mirror, bobbing her head with appreciation towards her recent work of art.

“You look wonderful, dear,” she said sweetly, smiling encouragingly at her.

Regina half-smiled but was more interested in watching her mother who was now speaking loudly on her phone. Some of the other shoppers were looking at her as if she was breaking an unspoken rule. Regina turned away, blushing slightly.

The tailor cleared her throat.

“Madam, would you like to see your daughter in her uniform?”

Cora looked at the tailor, then to Regina before turning away and ending the call. She then turned to address the tailor.

“Yes, she suits it quite well. But my Regina is not one for skirts. Is it possible to have a look at some of your trousers?”

Nodding, the tailor left Regina and Cora to look on another rack. Regina stepped off the stool she had been standing on for the past twenty minutes and looked at her mother. Her lips were quivering slightly.

“Are you okay? What did Dennis say?”

Cora waved her hand dismissively. 

“Nothing new,” she paused before adding, “you look lovely, Regina. The bold look. It suits you.”

Regina smiled and blushed once more. 

The tailor returned with the trousers a few moments later. After spending a further ten minutes in the store, wherein Cora ordered a further four more white blouses, skirts trousers and an extra blazer, they left with multiple bags and were panting heavily as they returned to Cora’s dark blue Jeep.

After storing the bags in the trunk of the car, Cora retrieved the list from her handbag and glanced down it quickly.

“Alright, you still need an athletic kit… we’ll need to head into the *official* book shop they’ve listed as one of their sponsors… you’ll also need an acceptable school bag.”

Cora sighed and returned the list to her bag. Regina bit her lip.

“I don’t mind using last year’s bag, Mom…”

Her mom shook her head.

“Absolutely not! You’re going to a very sophisticated school, Regina. You need to look the part. If I must spend a couple of hundred dollars to get you a backpack to fit everything in, then I will.”

With that, they set off. Whilst Cora hummed in tune with an old rock song playing on the local radio, Regina reflected on the last few months of her and her mom’s life. 

They had moved from Gardiner to Augusta a week after the summer holidays began. Cora had had enough of the Captain’s late nights where he would come home from a local bar, having spent all his money on liquor and cigarettes. He had been signed off work months ago and had sunken into a deep depression. When he wasn’t sending her money, he spent his nights tormenting both Cora and Regina. Both still carried the scars from the last altercation from him.

Cora eventually confessed to Regina that she wanted to wait until she had completed her Sophomore year in high school before she escaped. Her mom had found it easy to find a small house on the outskirts of the neighbourhood Rookwood which was close to Regina’s new school. She had also found it easy to find work; serving as a restaurant manager in a local restaurant within the city.

Regina’s mom may have warmed up to their new home, but Regina was not convinced. People here were too well-off and she knew at her new school the girls would be just the same. She and her mother could dress up in sophisticated clothing every day and night; they would always be singled out.

The car jerked Regina out of her thoughts. She mirrored her mom, leaving the car parked in a tight bay and followed her into a gym store.  
They moved quickly around this store and were out of it in five minutes, leaving with enough shorts, t-shirts and two pairs of sneakers. They carried the bags with them to around the corner of the street where the bookstore sat.

Cora stopped midway, reaching into her bag and retrieving the list once more and scanning it methodically.

“You’re in quite a few AP classes. Biology, Art Studies, World History. We should get you some prep books for the SAT too. Oh, and of course I’ll get you the grade books you need but just in case, I’ll get you the lower grades as well.”

Regina twiddled her thumbs nervously.

“I’m not impertinent, Mother.”

“I’m not saying that, Regina,” she said with a scowl, “it’s just that these girls come from richer backgrounds than you. They’ve received the best education. You’re an intelligent girl and I want them to see you as one of them and not a second-class high schooler.”

Without another word, and still scowling, Cora entered the bookstore. Regina took note of the antique store sign across the threshold that read *King’s Books and Stationery* as she followed her mother a heartbeat later.

Immediately, Regina fell in love with the old store. Unlike most of the other stores she and her mother had passed, which were all modernised, this one had remained antique. Old tables showcased recent releases and classic shelves lined the walls. There was even a seating area with two leather armchairs for those who wished to pursue a book further before purchasing. Regina joined her mother at a counter that looked a tad new yet still had an old-fashioned till sitting comfortably on it. Bookmarks and book magazines also lined the counter.

“Welcome to King’s Books and Stationery. My name is Mr King. How can I be of service today?”

Regina took in the man’s appearance. He was tall, stocky, and had a rigid nose. His forehead was covered in age lines and a few beads of sweat. He wore a t-shirt which advertised his store. He grinned down to Regina as she stood close to her mom.

“Yes, hello. My daughter here,” she paused to indicate to a nervous Regina, “will be starting her Junior year at the St. Margaret’s Prep School for Girls next week. We are here for her textbooks and the… multiple stationery items listed.”

Mr King chortled.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

Cora shook her head. 

“Worry not, ma’am. I happen to have a daughter of my own who attends the school. I’ll show you the notebooks and other proper equipment she will need.” He grinned down once more to Regina. “All the schoolbooks are near the back of the store. Keep an eye out for the St. Margaret’s logo.”

Regina watched as Mr King stepped out from behind his counter and escorted her mother to the stationery section. She walked to the back of the store, ignoring the temptation to get distracted by all the books. Regina could barely remember the logo; she remembered it consisted of a swan and a rose.

Soon enough, she found it. Upon a white clear diamond background was a black swan which was encircled in red roses with thorns on the stem. With not much enthusiasm, Regina began picking up the lower grades of the subjects she was going to be studying. She could not help but notice that each of the textbooks had the school emblem on the inside jacket.

“You’re picking up the wrong grades,” a voice behind her said quietly.

Regina turned, her face as red as a ruby as she held tightly to the many heavy textbooks in her arms. The voice belonged to a girl with long, straight brown hair who was clutching a black basket. She was just as tall as Mr King, sharing his nose. The girl wore a deep blue pinafore with a black t-shirt underneath and blue pumps to match. She also sported thin-rimmed black glasses.

“What?” Regina stammered quickly.

The girl nodded to the books in Regina’s arms.

“You have the wrong grades. I heard your mom tell my dad you’re going into Junior year. Those are for Sophomore and Freshman.”

“Oh…” Regina shifted uncomfortably before continuing, “no, I’m not. My mom wants me to be all caught up with the rest of you so I can keep up.”

“I see.”

They stood in a silence for several moments. The girl was looking everywhere else but not in Regina’s direction. She was glad. She could still feel the heat against her cheeks.

Regina cleared her throat.

“I’m Regina. Regina Mills.”

“Belle King.”

Belle moved towards her, placing the basket in front of her. Smiling her thanks to Belle, Regina deposited the books into it, grateful for having the freedom of her arms once more. Belle continued to hold the basket. Clearly, she was used to the weight.

“I’ll help you. You seem to be taking most of my classes.”

With Belle’s help, Regina had managed to secure the rest of her textbooks within two minutes. They did this in silence. Belle seemed to not be a fan of socialising. 

“I think that’s everything. Thanks for your help, Belle.”

Belle shook her head; her hair bouncing on her shoulders as she did so.

“You still need the required reading books.”

Regina looked down at her basket, completely mystified.

“_This_ is the required books,” she pointed to the basket as she spoke.

Belle’s lips moved slightly upwards. Was this her way of smiling?

“No, these are the textbooks for our classes. We get the reading books for extra credits, depending on what subjects you’ve taken. Each of us need to bring in three books. Didn’t your mom get the email?”

Regina felt her face burning again. Her mom had never mentioned anything about extra credit assignments.

“So, we just buy three different books for three different subjects, read them and we get the extra credits?”

“No. The school examination board have different tests for different subject books. Everything was on the email. You can even check online.” Bella paused to look at Regina’s worried face. “Don’t worry, I’ll show you the books.”

Further thankful for Belle’s help, Regina bit back the sick feeling in her stomach as she followed Belle closer to the counter where a rich antique table held an information display. Regina engrossed herself in it:

**EXTRA CREDITS ASSIGNMENT**  
1\. Choose three non-fictional, non-educational books for different subjects (e.g. Science, English, American Politics  
2\. Read the three books  
3\. Enter your Student Portal either at home or at school and head over to the Extra Credits section for your assignments.

Then, in bullet points, was a total of six different books for each of the subjects. Regina pondered over the book choices before picking three books at random (one from American Politics; one from English; and one from Art Studies) before returning to the counter with Belle beside her.

Cora looked thrilled to see her. She had so obviously not enjoyed her time alone with Mr King who was ringing up her stationery.

“I got you plenty of pens, pencils, markers, over a dozen notebooks. Enough to keep you the whole year!”

Belle, without difficulty, lifted the basket onto the counter. Mr King looked up and smiled to his daughter.

“Hello pumpkin, have you been helping out?”

Belle only nodded, giving her father a similar half-smile, she gave to Regina a few minutes ago.

“Oh, this is your daughter? I’m glad you have made a friend, Regina! That’s one less person to meet.”

Cora turned back to Mr King and watched him ring up the large order of books. Belle stepped behind the counter and began delicately wrapping the textbooks in brown paper before bagging them. After a few minutes, they were saying their goodbyes.

“It was lovely to meet you, Mrs Mills, Regina. Be sure to pop in anytime!” Mr King bowed his head politely to them both.

Regina could see her mom itching to scowl and was glad when she smiled and nodded her head to him as well. 

“I guess I’ll see you next Monday, Belle?”

“You will. I hope your studying works out well for you. Remember to check out the school website, to get subscribed to the newsletter.”

Regina nodded, waved to them both and followed her mom out of the shop.

After another thirty minutes of shopping, following her mom to different shoe shops for proper school shoes and finding a reasonably priced backpack in the same shop, the two of them were now enjoying a well-deserved sundae in a local desert parlour. 

“I think this is the right school for you, Regina.” 

She looked at her mom.

“Why is that?”

“Well, with all the money we have spent today, you might just fit in after all.”

After briefly sharing a look, the mother and daughter burst out in shrieking laughter. They did not care if it made them look crazy. They already were.


End file.
